Keidanren and the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI) co-hosted the 25th Plenary Meeting of the Brazil-Japan Business Council in Tokyo on November 5–6th, 2024. The Keidanren Japan-Brazil Economic Committee Chair, Tatsuo Yasunaga, led the Japanese side. At the same time, Brazil was represented by CNI President Ricardo Alban and Gustavo Pimenta, Chairman of the Brazil-Japan Business Council. Many business leaders from both countries participated in the event.

This plenary meeting featured lively discussions on the diversification and resilience of global value chains, decarbonization, and environmental conservation in the industrial sector, as well as Japan-Brazil economic cooperation in new fields, following an overview of the economic situations in both countries. In a world facing global challenges that require international cooperation amidst deepening divisions and conflicts, Japan and Brazil, as major countries in Asia and Latin America as well as members of the G20, are expected to play leading roles in rebuilding a free and open international order and addressing the worsening climate change. In terms of business, there is unlimited potential for Japan and Brazil to collaborate and create substantial added value mainly in the areas of healthcare, energy transition, digital technologies, and sustainable industries. The business communities of Japan and Brazil intend to take full advantage of this potential, transform it into concrete business opportunities, and produce tangible results as effective technological exchange between both countries.

The G20 Summit will be held in Rio de Janeiro on November 18th and 19th, 2024. And in 2025, the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 30) will be held in Belém. Both countries will celebrate the 130th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations. We strongly hope that the governments of Japan and Brazil will seize these opportunities to take important steps towards building a solid foundation for Japan-Brazil relations in the medium- to long-term, including the signing of a Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) and a balanced Japan-Mercosur EPA. The business communities of Japan and Brazil will continue their close collaboration in above mentioned areas, committed to the further development and prosperity of both countries.